


Back to You

by ContentsPriceless



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Israel, NCIS Major Case Response Team (MCRT), Post 11x02, Romance, TIVA - Freeform, Tiva Reunion, Tiva baby, Tony Goes to Israel, Tony x Ziva, mossad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2019-09-21 20:13:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17049809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ContentsPriceless/pseuds/ContentsPriceless
Summary: A year after leaving Ziva on the tarmac, Tony can't stand being without her anymore, so he books a flight straight to Israel to see her again. However, he has more than a few surprises waiting for him when he gets there.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Why, hello there Ao3! I've been meaning to get on this website for a while. I have been posting to fanfiction.net for about 4 years now, mostly NCIS stories, but I figured it was time to expand my reach. So, finally, my stories will also be posted here. (My pen name on fanfiction.net is NCIS Obsession, by the way. Probably important to mention.) This one was my most popular story on ffn.net, so I decided to post it first. It is 10 chapters in total.
> 
> Enjoy the story!

It had been a year, not that anyone had noticed. Or maybe they had, but they still didn’t say a word about it.

One whole year. Tony shook his head in disbelief, plopping down into his desk chair and opening the top drawer, where Ziva’s necklace still rested. He found himself in this position often, that is, whenever his coworkers weren’t around. With delicate fingers, he lifted the simple gold chain out of the drawer and dangled it in front of himself. The light from his desk lamp glimmered off the Star of David, and Tony closed his eyes, suddenly overwhelmed with another wave of pain in his chest and a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. This necklace shouldn’t be here, in his hands. It should be with her, hanging comfortably around her neck like it always had.

Tony let the necklace drop to his desk as his face fell into his hands. Even after a year of her absence the thought of her practically paralyzed him with sadness. If he found himself thinking of her his heart would ache so much that he couldn’t bring himself to roll out of bed in the morning, especially because she wasn’t there next to him when he woke up. He had taken to sleeping on the couch to solve this little problem. At least that way he could drag himself to work each day and try to put on a happy face.

But the worst part about coming to work was that _she_ was everywhere. The bullpen, the elevator, the parking lot, Abby’s lab—every single nook and cranny of the office building. That particular shade of orange which adorned the walls of the office even dredged up memories of her.

This even extended outside of the office building and into the greater DC metro area as well. Random memories associated with random locations all across town. A glimpse of an old apartment building where they had spent hours on a stake out. A warehouse that had once been a crime scene. Nowhere was safe from the onslaught of memories that shouldn’t be painful, but nevertheless drove a knife through his heart.

Of all 365 days, however, today had been the worst. Tony kept stealing glances at his coworkers when they weren’t looking, hoping that _someone_ would at least acknowledge that they knew the significance of the date. Each hour that passed caused a restlessness in him, the source of which he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Gibbs’ face was hardened with focus on the case they were working, and McGee was typing away at speeds only he could reach. There didn’t seem to be one single thought of their old partner on their minds, and that drove Tony crazy. He ached to hear her name spoken aloud by someone, _anyone_ , if only to reassure himself that she hadn’t been a dream.

Once the case was wrapped and everyone sent home, Tony stuck around the darkened bullpen, allowing thoughts of _her_ to fill his mind for what must be the hundredth time that day.

Her necklace pressed into his forehead as he rested it on his desk, feeling tears start to sting at the corners of his eyes. He abruptly stood, slamming his hand hard on his desk and turning to pace the bullpen restlessly.

He just couldn’t shake this feeling that something wasn’t right. He had felt it nagging at the back of his mind ever since he had stepped on that plane back from Israel, but over the course of the year the feeling had just amplified. Now, he felt this uncontrollable pull back to Israel, and on a whim, he found himself booking a one-way plane ticket to Ziva’s homeland.

Without a thought of the rest of his team, and with nervous energy coursing through him, Tony swiped Ziva’s necklace off the surface of his desk and into his pocket. He yanked his desk drawer open and couldn’t find it in himself to care that the action jumbled its contents as his hands shakily removed his badge from his side and placed it in the drawer, along with his handgun.

He started to close the drawer when another one of its contents caught his eye. Tony felt his pulse start to calm as he hesitantly picked up the black velvet box that had been sitting there for almost a year now. He breathed in a deep breath before opening the box, which held the ring he had bought for Ziva, on the chance that she should return to him one day.

He had waited, just as he had promised. He had given her space, lived without her for a whole year, but no more. A single day more would bury him further into despair, so his decision was made. He was going to go see Ziva, and this time there would be no force on the planet strong enough to pull him away from her again.

-.-.-

The flight was uneventful. Tony realized that he should probably be at least a little worried about what Gibbs or Vance would think of his unexcused leave of absence, but he was surprised to find that he couldn’t have cared less.

All he could think of was his beautiful ninja growing ever closer to him as the plane descended upon Tel Aviv in the still of night.

The 13 hour long flight brought him into the city at around 0100, exhausted both physically and emotionally. Jet lag hadn’t even caught up yet, but his back was aching from the uncomfortable seats. It was incredible how much he felt he had aged, just in the year Ziva had been gone. Well, aged _and_ matured.

By 0400, Tony was sitting outside a café in Be’er Sheva, just miles away from the farmhouse where Ziva was staying. It took all of his will power to stay away, even for an hour more, but he didn’t want to come knocking in the middle of the night. So he contented himself to sit, albeit anxiously, and sip coffee until he deemed it a reasonable time to go reunite with the one true love of his life.

0500 came, and with it, the stuttering heart of a man who had spent a year feeling as if his soul had been ripped from his body the moment he left his love in Israel. His fist hesitated for only a moment before knocking softly on the front door of the farmhouse.

And that was when it had happened.

The door gave way slightly, opening just a crack, and Tony’s heart clenched, ice water seeming to run through his veins.

Wishing now more than ever that he had his gun and his badge, Tony took a shaky breath and pushed the door open further, hoping and praying that his ninja was okay. He wanted to believe that the door had simply been left open by accident, but he knew in his gut that that couldn’t be true.

Just being back in this house had Tony feeling dizzy and slightly nauseous. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it as he scanned the house for potential dangers. He silently made his way through the entryway, careful not to make a single noise as he crept closer toward the main area of the house.

Hints of sunlight were filtering through the windows now, casting a faint light on several objects in the room.

Tony stepped into the living area, which now held more furniture than when he had been there a year ago, and felt something soft compress underneath his shoe. He lifted his foot to see what he had stepped on, and was confused to find a small teddy bear staring back at him.

His brow furrowed as he cast a glance at the rest of the room, thoughts of a possible intruder now completely out of his mind.

A rocking chair.

A bassinet.

A pacifier.

And then… an explosion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phoof.
> 
> If you are reading this story for the first time, CONGRATULATIONS! That is the whole reason I decided to join Ao3! I would love any comments you can give, even if you have read it before. New comments are my lifeblood and I really need the motivation to work on my current wip.
> 
> Also, please note that I have no clue how Ao3 works, so bear with me. Hopefully everything is correct.
> 
> Sidenote about this chapter: That bit about Tony having a ring for Ziva? That is because I was rewatching 12x06, and at the end when Tony is looking at Ziva's necklace I am SO sure that there is a ring box in the drawer with it. Go look and tell me I'm not crazy. BE STILL MY HEART!
> 
> And finally, before I go I almost forgot to mention that this chapter is on YouTube as an audio-fic by ttiva1. It turned out AMAZING and I am so flattered that she spent her time making such a beautiful video with my work! If anyone wants to do something like this for another chapter or another one of my fics, I would be pleased as punch. Do it. Just let me know so I can freak out and watch it a billion times.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> ~ContentsPriceless  
> (Yes, I could have kept my old pen name, but I wanted to switch it up a bit. Contents Priceless is one of my favorite Tiva scenes and the words just melt my heart...)


	2. Chapter 2

His eyes opened briefly. The pounding and ringing in his ears was impossible to ignore as he tried to shake his head to clear away some of the interference. The slight movement caused a shooting pain to course through his body, and Tony noticed blood pooling around himself.

The last thing he saw before losing consciousness again were the roaring flames all around him, and a tiny little shoe, only inches away from his face.

-.-.-

“McGee! Try to track his cell again,” Gibbs commanded gruffly. It had been a long day, and the team was trying to deal with a new case in addition to one of their members suddenly being M.I.A.

“Tony’s or the suspect’s?” he asked, to which Gibbs quickly shouted the former, causing McGee to cringe. He hadn’t been head-slapped yet but if Tony didn’t show up soon, he felt like he might have one coming. McGee tapped his keyboard for a moment before sending the feed to the plasma. “Nothing, boss. His phone is still turned off.”

“Should we go check his apartment?” Bishop interrupted.

Gibbs downed his last bit of coffee, throwing the empty cup in the trash with more force than necessary. “No, we got a killer on the loose, Bishop. That takes priority.”

This was shaping up to be a late night, especially with the team being a man down. The hours passed and agents came and went, following various leads, most of which came back fruitless.

At around 2330, Bishop was coming back from what she called “third dinner” when McGee saw something on his computer that caused him to drop what he had been doing.

“Boss, you might want to see this,” he said warily, pressing a few buttons on his keyboard until the video was up on the TV.

A house up in flames. A reporter standing in the early morning air. Israeli emergency vehicles swarming the area.

_“Former Mossad Director’s House Destroyed by Mortar Fire”_ the caption read, and soon Gibbs was on his feet, standing only a few feet from the TV screen and staring intently.

McGee cast a worried glance at Tony’s empty desk. “Just a coincidence, Boss?” he questioned, already knowing what the answer would be.

“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Gibbs shouted, smacking the nearest filing cabinet and causing the other agents to jump. “Ah, DiNozzo. What have you done, now?”

-.-.-

After checking Tony’s bank statements and confirming that he had flown to Tel Aviv earlier that morning, McGee and Bishop were sent home to quickly pack their bags for an impromptu trip overseas. Gibbs, for his part, hurried up the stairs to Director Vance’s office to request a backup team to take over their current case. Vance, of course, had not been happy to say the least, but agreed with Gibbs’ demands. He, too, had seen the news and knew that something was wrong.

Before long, the team was sitting on a jet, miles above the ocean, ready to clean up whatever mess they found when they arrived in Israel. Gibbs tried to seem irritated with Tony’s recklessness, but found himself more and more worried about what might have happened as they neared their destination. Maybe Tony knew something they didn’t.

-.-.-

A jumble of voices screamed in his head as he awoke once again, this time in a sterile, white-walled environment that could only be a hospital. His surroundings blurred as the staff rushed him down a hallway and through a set of double doors. None of the words they said made any sense, and he was reminded that he was in Israel, not America.

He only caught a few words and phrases, with his limited knowledge of the Hebrew language.

“…isha…” Woman.

“…tinoqet…” Baby.

“…p'tzatzah…” Bomb.

What?

Before he knew it, the pain was melting away as doctors hovered over him, inserting a needle into his arm. And then, again, darkness.

-.-.-

The soft, steady beeping of a machine drew him from his sleep. Numerous tubes and probes ran from his body to various pieces of hospital equipment. He squinted his eyes against the bright light, attempting to take in his surroundings, and felt a sharp pain in his head.

With shaking hands he managed to call for a nurse, hoping for some medication and, maybe even more so, hoping for an explanation.

The moments leading up to his injury were fuzzy. He remembered clearly the plane ride, and the drive to Be’er Sheva, but after that there were only bits and pieces.

Even those bits and pieces made no sense. Why was he remembering a pacifier lying on the ground?

At last a nurse swept into the room, followed by 3 stern-looking Israelis, not a hint of emotion on their faces. “How can I help you, Mr. DiNozzo?” the nurse asked with a thick accent.

“Hurts…” Tony managed to choke out, the sound muffled by the oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth. The nurse nodded and got to work, giving him another dose of pain killers. “What…happened?...” he asked, wincing at the pain in his chest.

One of the Israelis stepped forward, and Tony immediately recognized her as Orli Elbaz, director of Mossad. “I think that is something we may be able to help with, Agent DiNozzo,” Orli spoke, nodding at the nurse to signal her to leave. “You were injured in an explosion at the David farmhouse,” she began matter-of-factly. “You almost lost your life.”

Tony breathed out a heavy breath, glancing at the bandages on his body and feeling the pain consistent with shrapnel injuries. “Zi…va…” he whispered in a strangled voice.

Orli pursed her lips and sat in silence for a moment. Tony could see the gears in her head turning. “Every effort is being made to find her, Tony,” she answered carefully, using his first name in an oddly familiar way. “She was not in the house when the blast occurred, that much we know.”

A sigh of relief spilled from Tony’s lips, and with it another jolt of pain.

The nurse entered the room again, followed by more workers and a cart full of equipment. “I am sorry, Director, but Mr. DiNozzo needs rest. We will remove the rest of the shrapnel momentarily. A full recovery can be expected.” She then turned to Tony, who was feeling more exhausted than he ever had in his life. “You are very lucky to be alive, sir.”

With that, Orli and her officers turned and left, leaving Tony, who felt himself slipping into yet another much-needed sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thanks for reading! I will probably post more chapters tomorrow. This is most definitely not a form of procrastination from working on the other fic I have in progress... Psh.
> 
> Make sure you follow me (or whatever the Ao3 equivalent is) so you get updated when I post new stuff here! I'll try to keep up.
> 
> ~ContentsPriceless


	3. Chapter 3

When Tony awoke again it was dark outside. He blinked his bleary eyes open and groaned as a new wave of pain made its way through his chest and to his limbs. That was when he saw it. He would have recognized her from a mile away. That same curly hair fell on her shoulders and he felt his heart melt a little at the sight.

“Ziva…” he said, his voice barely audible.

“ _Tony_ ,” Ziva exclaimed, rushing to his side with tears spilling from her eyes and an anguished expression on her face. “Mossad told me what happened, I—"

Tony reached his hand out and placed it on hers, a small smile twisting on his lips. “You’re okay…”

Ziva nodded, her face wet with tears but a smile finding its place there anyway. “When we heard there was a threat we escaped. We were about a mile away when the house…” she trailed off. “We went straight to Mossad and they told me… Tony, what are you doing in Israel?”

The look in Tony’s eyes told her everything she needed to know. He was there for her. To finally be with her. To finally have the happy ending they both deserved whether she was ready for it or not.

“You said ‘we’.” Tony pointed out, his voice gravelly from disuse. A look of confusion crossed his face and it came out like a question.

Ziva drew a shuddering breath and Tony saw fresh tears pool in her eyes. “I am so sorry, Tony,” she choked out, looking down at her lap in shame. She turned slowly, bending to pick something off the ground, but Tony couldn’t see what it was. “I should have told you,” she sobbed, and then there she was.

A tiny baby girl. All of 3 months old. Curly brown hair, rosy red lips, and eyes that seemed so familiar to Tony.

“Wha—” he found himself mouthing, but no sound came out. He took in the sight, Ziva sitting there holding this fragile human being like it was so natural. She clutched the baby to her chest as sobs racked her body, the baby unaware of her mother’s distress.

“Please forgive me, Tony, I was scared. I know that is no excuse, but I never intended for _this_ ,” she gestured at Tony in the hospital bed, “to happen.”

The room fell silent, the soft breaths of the baby bringing an air of peace in to the otherwise chaotic day.

One look at the baby and he knew. This was his child. His baby girl. He had always known that an unexpected child would be a possibility, especially with the way he used to live his life, but he never thought that baby would be the product of his pure, unbreakable love for Ziva David. His coworker. His best friend. His soulmate.

With a shaky hand, still weak from his injuries, Tony reached out toward the little girl, sleeping peacefully in her mother’s arms. _Her mother_. Up until a few moments ago the idea had seemed unfathomable. Not that he couldn’t imagine a maternal Ziva; in recent years, in fact, he had begun to see little hints of this side of her.

“She’s beautiful,” Tony whispered, feeling a lump forming in his throat and tears pooling in his eyes. He looked up at Ziva in awe and his eyes met hers for the first time in a year.

“She is your daughter, Tony,” Ziva spoke unnecessarily through her tears. The little girl shifted, opening her eyes lazily and peering out at the man in front of her. “Tali.”

Suddenly all the strange bits of memory that flashed before his eyes made sense. The teddy bear, the rocking chair, the bassinet, the tiny shoe. All of these were little pieces of evidence that he, Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, Jr., had a child, he just hadn’t had time to process it before the blast occurred.

A smile crossed his face, a mixture of disbelief and absolute joy, as Tali wrapped her hand around his finger.

This was real. He was a father. He had a _family_.

Suddenly, getting blown up upon arrival seemed a small price to pay to get to meet his daughter, and to be with Ziva.

She looked as beautiful as ever. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the hospital room, he could see that she had cut her hair, though it retained its natural curls. It looked good on her.

“I love you, Ziva,” Tony said suddenly, his voice sturdier than before yet full of so much emotion that it was almost overwhelming. A tear trailed down his cheek. “Come here,” he said, motioning for her to move closer. He was still unable to move, and was dying to wrap his ninja in his arms, the feel of her just a memory from a year earlier.

Ziva wiped her eyes and went to sit next to Tony on his narrow hospital bed, Tali back asleep in her arms. Tony’s hand moved to Ziva’s cheek, his fingers lightly tousling her hair. She felt herself leaning toward him as her eyes fluttered shut, and their lips met softly. He was just as she remembered him, his love for her evident in the kiss.

When they broke apart, he leaned down as much as he could in his current condition, and placed a gentle kiss on his daughter’s forehead, her soft curls tickling his nose.

“Tali,” Ziva cooed, “This…is your Abba.” Ziva turned her eyes to meet Tony’s. Abba. He could get used to that. Both parents looked down at the little life they had created with tearful smiles.

Sure, Tony still had lots of recovering ahead. Sure, they still didn’t know who had attempted to do them harm. And yes, there was the matter of an ocean separating their homes from each other, but in this moment, none of that mattered. They were in their in their own little world. Untouchable.

Just Ima, Abba, and Tali.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me just say...from the bottom of my heart...my bad.
> 
> I should have uploaded this chapter a long time ago but got distracted with the happenings of season 16. Also I still don't know how AO3 works. But thank you all for the kudos! I'm trying to work on my wip some more, so if you've got any comments I would love to hear them. I need the motivation.
> 
> I'll upload more soon. Thanks for reading!
> 
> ~ContentsPriceless


	4. Chapter 4

Gibbs’ first stop upon arrival in Tel Aviv was Mossad headquarters. If anyone had information about the bombing, and his agent’s whereabouts, it was them.

He didn’t waste time dealing with all their security measures, preferring to force his way past large guards while demanding entrance.

McGee and Bishop followed, holding out their badges and credentials and gliding past security apologetically. Luckily, Director Elbaz spotted them before one of the security guards could get out his taser and use it on Gibbs.

The team followed the Director up to her office, taking a seat and waiting impatiently for someone to tell them what the heck was going on.

“I am sure you are wondering where your Agent DiNozzo is, Special Agent Gibbs,” she began, in a tone that infuriated Gibbs for absolutely no reason.

Gibbs squinted at her and responded, “Yeah, I’ve got more than a couple questions.” His voice was rough, showing her that he wasn’t here to mess around. He needed answers, and fast.

Orli returned Gibbs’ stare silently before continuing. “No doubt, you have heard of the explosion at the David farmhouse,” she said calmly. A statement, not a question. Gibbs, McGee, and Bishop all nodded. “Shortly after the blast, we learned that Agent DiNozzo was injured and rushed to the nearest hospital.”

Bishop let out a gasp and McGee closed his eyes as his mind absorbed the information. Of course it would be just Tony’s luck to go visit Ziva on the day her house was to be bombed. Those two always had the worst timing.

“He okay?” Gibbs asked, his true emotions hidden well under a mask of strength and calm.

Orli nodded, her lips pursed. “He will be. I can arrange for our officers to escort you to the hospital, if you would like.”

Gibbs gave a short nod in the affirmative.

“Wonderful. I will summon your escorts now,” she said, leaning toward her desk phone to call her agents.

McGee still had more questions. “Wha—do you know about—is… Ziva?” he stammered out, worried for his friend, even though she had disappeared from their lives a year ago.

Orli smiled. “I believe Miss David is with Tony now, Agent McGee.” McGee let out a sigh of relief. If Ziva was with Tony, then they would be okay. They would all be okay. “She came by earlier asking many of the same questions you are,” Orli continued. “She was shocked to hear that Tony was in the country. Were you all aware of his travels?”

“No.” Gibbs answered curtly. His mind was racing. Ziva didn’t know he was coming? What was DiNozzo up to?

McGee was just relieved that Ziva hadn’t been home when the bomb had hit.

-.-.-

Not long after, the team was piled in a car with a Mossad Officer and on their way to Be’er Sheva, just over an hour-long drive from Tel Aviv.

The escort dropped them off at the entrance and handed Gibbs a business card, in case they needed a ride back at any time. The team thanked him and turned to the hospital, making their way in as quickly as they could without causing alarm.

After demanding to see Anthony DiNozzo, flashing their badges, and explaining that they were practically family, the woman at the front desk finally gave in and told them his room number, and soon the agents were off. It didn’t matter that it was way past visiting hours. They needed to see their agent, now.

McGee and Bishop stepped into the elevator, expecting Gibbs to be behind him, but were confused when he was nowhere in sight. Both shrugged and pressed the button for the fourth floor. The elevator doors opened and they stepped out swiftly, glancing up and down the hall in search of room 437.

They wandered the halls for several minutes before Bishop got frustrated and plopped down to the ground, sitting against the wall. “We’re lost, McGee,” she said, with a hint of accusation in her voice.

“Sorry I can’t read Hebrew, okay? Where do you think Gibbs went?”

Bishop shrugged and was about to retort when she saw a flash of silver hair turn a corner just down the hall, coffee in hand. She nudged McGee in the side and stood, hurrying down the hall in the direction she had seen him. “Why couldn’t he…have just told us…he was going to get coffee…” she asked in exasperation as they sped down the long, narrow hall.

They finally rounded the corner to see Gibbs standing next to an open door, his face calculating and his eyebrow raised slightly.

“What’s wrong boss?” Tim asked. A quick glance at the room number told him they were in the right place, so why wasn’t he going in? Gibbs nodded his head toward the door, his feet planted firmly on the tile floor outside the room.

Tim stepped forward a little and peeked into the room, followed closely by Ellie.

What they saw caused them to gasp simultaneously.

There was Tony, sleeping on the hospital bed while covered with bandages and hooked up to countless machines. And there was Ziva, leaning her head comfortably on his shoulder. She seemed to be resting her eyes, not fully asleep, but she was peaceful nonetheless.

And perhaps the most jarring sight before them was the baby nuzzled in Ziva’s arms, softly snoring in her contented slumber.

McGee’s head snapped up to face Gibbs, his eyes asking so many questions all at once. His jaw was practically on the floor. Gibbs just shrugged.

“Wow,” Bishop said quietly, breaking the silence. “So _that’s_ Ziva.”

Gibbs let out a long sigh and shook his head, apparently having chosen to just confront the situation head on. He decidedly stepped forward into the room, careful not to wake its sleeping occupants.

McGee’s phone rang. “Abby,” he informed Bishop, a look of alarm on his face. With another glance into the hospital room, he answered the call, simply muttering “I’m gonna have to call you back, Abs,” into the phone before placing it back into his pocket. With that, the two agents followed their boss into the room, taking in the sight before them in greater detail. It didn’t make sense.

The baby stirred slightly, and Ziva’s eyes fluttered open to check on her, immediately noticing that they were no longer the only people in the room. Her head lifted off Tony’s shoulder. “Gibbs?” she said quietly, just a whisper.

All the tension that had surrounded the team in the previous minutes dissipated immediately. “Ziver,” he said softly. This was almost too much. He had missed something, surely. The sight before him just didn’t make sense from his point of view.

Ziva was starting to get anxious again. She looked down at her baby and then back at Gibbs, her eyes then wandering to McGee and Bishop. “I—I can explain,” she stammered, her voice low and accented.

The baby’s eyes opened just a little bit, and soon she began to whimper, turning her head toward Ziva’s chest and grasping at her shirt impatiently. Ziva placed a blanket over herself and began to feed the baby, trying with all her might to avoid eye contact with the three American agents who seemed to be watching her. Well, two. McGee had turned away, a pink color rising on his cheeks as he realized what Ziva was doing.

“Gibbs—” Ziva began, her head still hanging low and eyes careful not to meet her former boss’.

“I think I get the picture,” Gibbs interrupted, his true thoughts indiscernible behind his mask. His coffee was long forgotten by this point.

Just then, Tony’s eyelids shifted, and he blinked his eyes open, turning immediately to place a kiss on Ziva’s head.

“Morning, sweetcheeks,” he said, oblivious to his other visitors. “Or—what time is it, actually? I can’t tell, I’m pretty jetlagged.”

Ziva gave no response. He would notice soon enough that they had an audience.

Gibbs cleared his throat, and Tony’s eyes widened. “Sorry, Boss,” he replied automatically. Ziva let out a chuckle. He seemed to be feeling a bit more like himself already. That, or the painkillers were working _very_ well. She would have expected a slap on the head to follow, if not for the current circumstances.

Gibbs shook his head, allowing a smirk to cross his face. Tony would realize how strange this situation must look any moment now. It wasn’t normal for him to be hospitalized, kissing his former coworker, and casually interacting with a baby, much less in front of the rest of his team. Maybe he still felt like he was in dreamland, where everything made sense.

You could almost see the moment Tony realized the position he was in. His eyes widened and his head moved back and forth from looking at Ziva and then to Gibbs. He seemed to be taking stock of the situation himself. Surely everything he had been through in the last day had taken a toll on him and his memory.

Once the initial shock wore off, Tony’s eyes travelled down to the beautiful baby in Ziva’s arms, who had returned to her peaceful sleep. A huge grin spread across his lips, and he leaned down to place a kiss on her cheek, his hand resting atop her little head and rubbing circles gently through her short hair. “Hi, Tali,” he said happily, inadvertently ignoring the other occupants of the room. There were only two that truly captured his attention at the moment.

“Tali?” McGee spoke, breaking through Tony’s thoughts.

Tony looked up at his coworker, whose face had paled significantly since entering the room, and then turned to face Ziva again. With a small smile, Ziva nodded at Tony, urging him on.

“Congrats, you’re a McUncle!”

“WHAT?” Tim and Ellie shouted in unison, only to be shushed by Ziva. Gibbs shook his head and slapped McGee on the back of the head. How they hadn’t put two and two together yet was beyond him.

“Tali is my daughter, Gibbs,” Ziva spoke directly to him, stealing a glance at the injured man beside her. “Our daughter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even really remember what I wrote here, I'm just copying and pasting from my previous word document. So hope you enjoyed whatever you just read, lol. Maybe I should go back through and re-read...
> 
> Thanks again for reading! Leave a comment or kudos if you feel so inclined.
> 
> ~ContentsPriceless


	5. Chapter 5

Tony was sitting up more in his bed now, and a lamp was turned on to provide some light for the room. Ziva had a lot of explaining to do, but some of it would have to wait till morning. It was past midnight, and the nurses would get mad if they kept Tony up too long.

“I can’t believe it,” McGee said, tilting his head to study the little baby. He and Ellie had moved closer. She was now cooing over the little girl, trying her best not to let her excitement wake her from her sleep. McGee silently thanked God that Abby wasn’t there right now, as much as she would have loved it. He just knew that there would have been a lot more squealing and jumping up and down if she had been there, and they really didn’t need to get kicked out of the hospital for excessive noise today. “She looks just like you, Ziva.”

Ziva chuckled. “Except her eyes,” she said, softly running her hand over her baby’s hair. “And her smile.” As if on cue, the little girl smiled toothlessly in her sleep.

“Must be having a good dream,” Gibbs said, his rough voice surprising the others. He had been silent up until this point and they had almost forgotten that he was there.

“Why didn’t you tell us, Tony?” Bishop asked, Tali’s hand clasped around her finger.

Tony opened his mouth to answer, but Ziva was the one that spoke. “He did not know about her. Until this evening, actually.” Silence fell on the room, and sadness filled Tony’s eyes yet again. He knew that he and Ziva would have to talk soon, but now was not the time.

“Then why you in Israel, DiNozzo?” Gibbs asked.

Tony shook his head. “Yesterday at work… I was so sure that _someone_ would remember what day it was. Mention her name, maybe reminisce a little, ya’ know? I’m not sure if that would have made it any easier, but getting through the day was really…tough.”

Ziva’s eyes started to tear up again. She hadn’t heard the details of why Tony was in Israel yet, but knowing that she had caused him a year’s worth of pain caused her heart to constrict.

McGee looked down at his feet, shuffling them on the tile floor. “I’m sorry, Tony. I didn’t think you’d want to talk about it.”

Tony shook his head, a lump forming in his throat as he relived that entire year without Ziva. “I missed you,” he said, turning to her. “More than you could ever know.” She leaned her forehead against his as a tear dripped down her cheek.

Ziva wanted to apologize a million times over, and she would, but that would have to wait. As much as she loved Gibbs and McGee, they did not need to be involved in the more personal conversations she would need to have with Tony later.

“We all missed you, Ziver,” Gibbs said quietly, after silence had fallen on the group.

McGee shook his head. “No wonder you were so depressed when you got home a year ago, Tony. I always thought you two were close friends, but I never considered…” his eyes travelled to Tony and Ziva’s intertwined hands, “Well, I guess I always figured there was something between you, but it was all just speculation.”

“Rule 12 is a killer, Boss,” Tony said, not meaning to sound accusatory, but it sort of came across that way.

Gibbs grunted.

“So how long have you guys been together, then?” Bishop asked, before realizing that she was still a stranger to one of the adults in the room. “Sorry, I’m Ellie. Bishop. New agent.” She stuck her hand out and Ziva shook it, giving her a polite smile. “I…already know who you are,” she added awkwardly.

“It is nice to meet you,” Ziva responded. “Tony and I… never really were a couple, I suppose. In the ordinary sense of the word. And up until he found me at the farmhouse a year ago—”

“We never told each other how we really felt,” Tony finished. “It’s been a long time coming, though,” Tony said, a look of pure love in his eyes.

“And now you have a daughter,” Gibbs stated the obvious, still processing this information himself. DiNozzo. A father.

“Yes. We do,” Ziva confirmed, smiling apologetically at Tony again. “Would you like to hold her, Gibbs?”

Gibbs broke out into a small smile, stepping nearer to the hospital bed to get a good look at the little DiNozzo baby. A combination of two of his finest agents. The product of a relationship that had gone through so many hardships and challenges through the years. Proof that love can indeed overcome all obstacles.

Ziva lifted Tali toward Gibbs. This is what it should have been like the day she was born. Surrounded by family and friends, passing around her child to the outstretched arms of those who promised to love her most. She felt regret rising up in her again but she pushed it down. There was nothing she could do about it now. It was in the past.

Gibbs cradled the baby in his arms, her little chest rising and falling with each breath. Ziva stood from the bed and joined Gibbs, smiling contentedly at her baby. Tali looked so comfortable in the arms of her former boss.

“This is Gibbs, Tali,” Ziva cooed, emotion welling up in her. “He is your—” she broke off, unsure of how to describe his relation to her.

“Grandpa,” Gibbs finished. Ziva wanted to burst into tears at that. Of course, she had always considered her team at NCIS her family, but after being gone so long she wasn’t sure if they would say the same about her. A few days ago she was a single mom raising a baby all on her own, and now her child would grow up with a father, an uncle, a grandfather, and so many more people she knew would love and cherish her. She hadn’t even met Abby yet, after all, and that promised to be one of the most exciting days of the forensic scientist’s life!

From his spot in the hospital bed, Tony couldn’t help but smile. He had to admit, though, that he was getting very tired again, the medication having taken its toll on him.

“You done good, David,” Gibbs whispered, planting a kiss on Ziva’s temple and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Gibbs handed Tali back to Ziva and moved closer to Tony, holding out a hand for him to shake. “You too, DiNozzo.” The movement caused some of the dull pain to come flaring back up in Tony’s arm, which he tried unsuccessfully to hide.

Ziva set Tali down in her carrier and perched herself on the edge of the hospital bed, gently placing a hand on Tony’s bandaged leg and rubbing it softly. “I think it is time Tony got some rest,” she said. “I would offer you my house for the night, Gibbs, but I do not think it is in working condition any longer.”

Gibbs chuckled, shaking his head. That was an understatement. “We’ll get a hotel, maybe fly home tomorrow evening.”

Ziva nodded.

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. “Hey, Tony,” McGee said cautiously, “Are you coming back to DC?”

Tony let out a sigh and locked eyes with Ziva. They hadn’t discussed this yet. “Dunno yet, Probie. First I have to deal with _this_ ,” he said, gesturing to his bandages, “and then we have to make sure it is safe for us to go anywhere. We still don’t know who was behind the attack.”

“Mossad is working on it,” Gibbs interjected. He had noticed the tension between Tony and Ziva when their future living arrangements were questioned, so he decided not to push any further.

Ziva smiled gratefully and stood to say goodbye to their friends for the night. McGee approached her with open arms and wrapped her in a hug. “Should someone stay as protection detail, Boss?” he asked, uncertain about leaving them without backup, especially with the possibility of an attacker on the loose.

“Nah,” Gibbs answered, pulling something from his back pocket. He strode over to Tony and laid his gun and badge on the table beside him. “Protect your family, DiNozzo,” he said softly.

Tony smiled. “Copy that, Boss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think of this chapter! Thanks for reading!


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